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ETX Telescope Rail Mount

The Meade ETX-80 and ETX-90 telescopes are great starter scopes, but the mount wears out pretty quickly. This Instructable will allow you to put this quality telescope on a standard rail mount.

Step 1: Defork the Telescope

I refer to others that have taken apart the ETX80. I believe the ETX90 is the same.

Here is a good video; you don't have to remove the base, so skip forward to about 28 seconds in or so.

https://youtu.be/KbUmbO1pfzQ

Step 2: Cut Heat Sink

I used a heat sink for my main part. The aluminum will be light and easy to cut. I cut off the sides after measuring. I also cut the length to fit under the telescope.

Step 3: Drill Heat Sink

Drill four holes in the one side of the heat sink. This will be used to anchor the telescope to the 'rail' (heat sink).

I filed it down a bit to avoid wear on the attachment point.

Step 4: Mount Rail (heatsink) to Telescope

Simply attach with zip ties (AKA swift tie). Plan ahead; I had to use two per end and therefore had to put the head under the heat sink. I put a piece of electric tape between the telescope and the heat sink to avoid a scratch and give it a landing place in case the metal isn't perfectly straight.

Step 5: Test It Out..

Mount the whole shebang to your mount. In my case I have an Orion Skyview Pro GOTO equatorial mount. You will have to adjust your counter weight; in my case I had to reduce it quite a bit.